World Cup (West Germany): Another win for the host
nation, as West Germany beat the brilliant Netherlands side 2-1 in the final.

Haiti, Australia and Zaire all reached the 16-team field,
with little success other than Australia's scoreless tie with Chile. East Germany
stunned West Germany in a meaningless game that nevertheless didn't sit well
with the home fans. All was forgiven after the final.

The format departed from that of the five previous competitions
(and the current setup). After the first group stage narrowed the field to eight,
the teams were again split into round-robin groups. West Germany and the Netherlands
made convincing runs through their groups to play for the title, while runners-up
Brazil and Poland played for third place.

In the United States: Professional soccer continues
to grow, with several of the NASL's 15 teams averaging more than 10,000 fans,
but the national team struggles. After a handful of wins in 1973, the team embarks
on a 15-game winless streak.

The best news for the game, though few may have known it
at the time, is the emergence of youth soccer as a popular activity.

1978

World Cup (Argentina): It's good to be the host.
Argentina won 3-1 in overtime over the Netherlands, which competed without sparkplug
Johan Cruyff due to political concerns.

Argentina didn't always seem to be the best team. Italy
won 1-0 in a meaningless finale in group play, and Brazil seemed poised to advance
ahead of their rivals in the second-round group. But Argentina put six goals
past a passive Peru to reach the final.

Mexico suffered three decisive losses, including one to
surprising Tunisia, which also held West Germany to a 0-0 tie. Iran also posted
a surprising 1-1 tie against heartbroken Scotland.

In the United States: The NASL is simply huge, with
many of the world's biggest stars earning their paychecks playing before occasionally
large crowds. But the prosperous owners' taste for foreign imports hurts in
two ways. First, the have-nots in the league have little hope of keeping up
with the big spenders, leaving the league's finances shaky. (While the league
is remembered for drawing 70,000-plus fans to see Pele and the New York Cosmos,
only seven of the league's 24 teams average more than 12,000 fans in 1978.)
Second, the league includes few Americans, and the national team continues its
woeful play.

1982

World Cup (Spain): The tournament expanded to 24
teams, opening the door for some entertaining surprises. Cameroon tied its three
games and nearly beat out Italy to advance, and Honduras and Kuwait notched
points as well. Northern Ireland actually won its first-round group. At the
other end of the scale, El Salvador opened with a 10-1 loss to Hungary, and
New Zealand lost three convincing games.

Algeria beat West Germany and Chile, only to lose out on
goal difference in controversial fashion. One day after Algeria's final game,
West Germany beat Austria 1-0  a result that conveniently allowed both
European teams to advance. (Look at more recent World Cup schedules, and you'll
notice that each team in a group plays its last game at the same time. That's
not an accident.)

Once again, the tournament featured a second group stage,
which got a bit awkward with 12 teams. The remaining contenders were split into
three-team groups, with each winner advancing to the semifinals.

In the semifinals, Italy beat Poland 2-0, while West Germany
needed a penalty shootout to beat France after a 3-3 game that featured four
overtime goals. Italy broke open a 0-0 game in the second half with three straight
goals to beat West Germany 3-1 and claim its third title.

In the United States: A bleak time for the sport.
The NASL is down to 14 teams, and though a couple continue to draw well and
play well, the end is near. The old regional leagues, including the long-running
but little-noticed ASL, are weak. The national team plays no games in 1981,
one in 1982 (a 2-1 win over Trinidad & Tobago) and one in 1983 (a 2-0 win
over Haiti).

Indoor soccer, on the other hand, is carving out a niche.
A mix of former NASL stars and up-and-coming players rise to prominence in the
Major Indoor Soccer League.

1986

World Cup (Mexico): Colombia was supposed to host
the tournament but backed out in 1983 with financial trouble. Mexico stepped
in as host, and 115,000 fans watched Diego Maradona lead Argentina to a 3-2
final win over West Germany.

The path to the final, of course, was quite colorful. Maradona
sent England home with two quarterfinal goals, one illegal and one brilliant.
Video replay clearly showed the first goal going in off Maradona's hand, though
the ever-entertaining midfielder would call it "the hand of God." The second
goal was a masterpiece, as the little Argentinian star dribbled through the
English defense before putting home the clinching shot in a 2-1 win.

The other quarterfinals were settled by penalty shootouts.
France knocked out Brazil, Belgium sent home Spain, and West Germany ended the
host nation's run.

Morocco won its first-round group to advance to the round
of 16, as the tournament dispensed with the second-round "groups" and went back
to a knockout format after the first round. Algeria, so unlucky in 1982, managed
only a draw in three games. Canada and Iraq each failed to get a point, while
South Korea took one off Bulgaria in a 1-1 tie.

In the United States: The national team revs up
in 1984 and 1985 for World Cup qualification, but a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica in
Torrance, Calif., ends the U.S. team's chances of returning to the big show.
College soccer and youth soccer continue to grow, and indoor soccer continues
to be the only haven for legitimate pro soccer. The best news for the outdoor
game is the warm reception for Olympic soccer in the 1984 Summer Games in Los
Angeles.